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Pilates – What Do You Need to Know

Joseph Pilates created Pilates (pih-lah-teez) is a mind and body workout that engages the whole body. The former gymnast designed the workout based on yoga and poses based on animals. His goal was to create a workout that helped injured dancers to recover and grow stronger. Like yoga, Pilates focuses on the core of the body (abdominal, obliques, lower back, thighs & butt). It is a flexibility workout, a strength workout, an endurance workout, a coordination, balance and good posture workout. In other words, it does a little bit of everything. Pilates can be a demanding discipline, but like all … Continue reading →

Group Fitness Classes Are Great Options

Too often we think about the group fitness class at the gym with a groan. After all, who wants to be in a room full of spandex wearing women or men or both. Far too often we become self-conscious and we think only toned bodies are going to be on the people in that room, but it’s not entirely true. You may be denying yourself a great fitness option because of how you view yourself. It’s important to remember that plenty of people lose weight, trim up and look toned and firm after working out regularly and those toned bodies … Continue reading →

Pilates – Firm Up

While I am a huge fan of yoga, I am not as big a fan of Pilates as I am of yoga. Frankly, I think Pilates is punishingly hard. That being said, I never shirk from a challenge. That being said, here is a 5 minute Pilates workout that I have worked my way up to doing. It’s still hard, but as opposed to my thinking it’s impossible, I don’t think that anymore. So let’s firm up with some Pilates! Pilates Push Ups The idea of push ups in Pilates uses the same form as Plank in Yoga. So you … Continue reading →

The Perfect Size Exercise Ball for You

The exercise ball is deceiving. It does not look like a useful fitness item that will help you to get into shape, but believe or not, it is. By using the exercise ball in combination with a good weight loss regime you will be in shape in no time. Exercise balls are used in Pilates, Yoga and in simple floor exercises. However, to obtain the full beneficial results when exercising you need to buy the correct size ball. The correct size ball is determined by your height. They range in sizes of 45 cm to 85 cm. If you are: … Continue reading →

Exercise & Your Back

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Does your back hurt? Mine does from time to time. Part of that is I spend hours every day parked in front of my computer, typing like a fiend. I can get caught up in my writing and my back will wait quietly as I spend an hour, then two and even three in a row before it begins to tighten up in protest and when I stand up, I can feel the aching creaks traveling up and down my spine. Good posture can help prevent back pain, but honestly, it’s not always enough. Different Strokes for Different Folks Back … Continue reading →

Puh-Lah-Teez – Constructive Contradictions

Everything about Pilates is a contradiction and yet, it’s not. It’s a difficult and often times troubling workout that really kicks you in the pants. It looks hard and at the same time, it doesn’t. For years, I used to dance and I loved dancing – everything from ballet to jazz to modern and more. I still love to dance, but I don’t train for it professionally. Have you ever watched a group of dancers and wondered how what they did could really be so hard? It doesn’t necessarily look hard – until it does. The same description can be … Continue reading →